The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting peripheral teeth in a pattern wheel blank for use as a pattern wheel on a textile knitting machine or the like.
In many conventional textile circular knitting machines, pattern wheels are utilized for controlling the selective raising of the knitting needles of the machine into a stitch-forming position for receiving yarn. In such machines, the knitting needles are formed with one or more operating butts projecting from the stem of the needle. The pattern wheels are positioned about the knitting machine at each knitting station for operational engagement with the needle butts. Each pattern wheel is provided with a plurality of slots, commonly referred to as "cuts", formed in the outer periphery of the wheel at spacings corresponding to the needle gauge of the knitting machine. According to the desired knitting pattern for the knitting machine, selective slots in each pattern wheel are fitted with pins, known as "jacks," for engagement with the butts of corresponding needles of the knitting machine. Thus, the preselected presence and absence of pins in the peripheral slots of the pattern wheel controls the raising and lowering of the knitting needles to establish the knitting pattern of the machine.
While such conventional pattern wheel mechanisms can significantly expand the patterning capabilities of textile circular knitting machines, such pattern wheel mechanisms nevertheless have limitations. For example, it is not possible to expand the pattern wheel size and patterning capability of a conventional pattern wheel mechanism except by substituting a larger pattern wheel. Further, any given pattern wheel is usable with knitting machines of a corresponding needle gauge, so that different pattern wheels are required for knitting machines of differing gauges. Since conventional pattern wheels are not inexpensive, it is generally impracical to maintain a varied inventory of pattern wheels of differing gauges and sizes to provide increased patterning flexibility. Additionally, the initial set-up of pattern wheels with pins in selected peripheral wheel slots is a relatively labor intensive operation and therefore relatively expensive. Finally, the size, shape and mounting requirements of conventional pattern wheel mechanisms make it possible to retrofit such mechanisms on some conventional circular knitting machines.